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Subject Mathematics in the Modern World

Lecturer GILBERT E. GONZALES
Module No. and Title Module 1 – Mathematics in Nature

The notion that mathematics does not just describe the universe but "makes the universe" is as old as history
itself. To the ancient Pythagoreans, all things in the world are numbers. To Galileo, the laws of nature are written in the
language of mathematics. The longer we look at circular ripples that raindrops create, or at the hexagonal honeycombs
that bees build, the more mathematics we find. Shapes, patterns, periodic behaviors, symmetry, and numbers that recur
around us have inspired theories and discoveries that continue to concretize our present scientific knowledge.
In this chapter, we will explore and analyze some mathematical objects in nature that have paved the way for
the development of explanations of natural phenomena. We will also study the relationships between them, and how
these correlations formed ideas that eventually developed into mathematical principles. Interesting concepts are set in
place through marginal notes and compelling images to help you better understand the lessons in the chapter—as well
as appreciate how mathematics can reveal the beauty of nature.

Mathematical Objects in Nature

Shapes
In mathematical terms, a circle is a set of points on the plane that are equidistant from a given point called the center.
The distance from the center to the points on the circle is called the radius. In three-dimensional space, a circle is a
sphere.

Patterns
Geometric patterns are also present in plants and animals. The
stripes and spots in the skin of different animals provide them
with a basic form of camouflage from their predators.

Periodic Behavior
Periodic behavior can also be observed in nature. The simplest
of these repeating occurrences is the cycle of day and night.

Symmetry
Nature offers many kinds of symmetry. Colorful and artistic, the wings of most butterflies are symmetric, both in their
shape and design.

Numbers
Numbers are the simplest objects in mathematics. Numbers simplify our understanding of natural phenomena in order
for us to live harmoniously with nature.

From Nature to Mathematics to Other Fields

Honeycomb, Tessellation, and Art
The arrangement of hexagons exhibited in a honeycomb structure has been deeply studied in mathematics, and
it is called tessellation. A tessellation on the plane is an arrangement of geometric objects on the plane such that the
objects do not overlap each other and they cover the entire plane without gaps. The harmonious relationship between
mathematics and art has reached another milestone with the works of Dutch graphic artist Maurits Cornelis Escher
(1898 1972). Impressed by the Moorish tessellation artwork in Alhambra when he visited Granada in Andalusia, Spain in
1922, Escher steered his genuine interest in art to mathematically inspired ones.

Examples of geometric tessellation

The Fibonacci Sequence Examples of geometric tessellation
retrieved from Live Science (https://www.livescience.com/37470-fibonacci-sequence.html)
The Fibonacci sequence is one of the most famous formulas in mathematics.

Each number in the sequence is the sum of the two numbers that precede it. So, the sequence goes
:0 , 1 ,1 , 2 ,3 , 5 , 8 ,13 , 21 ,34 , and so on. The mathematical equation describing it is x n +2=x n +1+ x n

A mainstay of high-school and undergraduate classes, it's been called "nature's secret code," and "nature's universal
rule." It is said to govern the dimensions of everything from the Great Pyramid at Giza, to the iconic seashell that likely
graced the cover of your school math textbook.

History
Many sources claim it was first discovered or "invented" by Leonardo Fibonacci. The Italian mathematician, who was
born around A.D. 1170, was originally known as Leonardo of Pisa, said Keith Devlin, a mathematician at Stanford
University. Only in the 19th century did historians come up with the nickname Fibonacci (roughly meaning, "son of the
Bonacci clan"), to distinguish the mathematician from another famous Leonardo of Pisa, Devlin said. [Large Numbers that
Define the Universe]

But Leonardo of Pisa did not actually discover the sequence, said Devlin, who is also the author of "Finding Fibonacci: The
Quest to Rediscover the Forgotten Mathematical Genius Who Changed the World," (Princeton University Press, 2017).
Ancient Sanskrit texts that used the Hindu-Arabic numeral system first mention it, and those predate Leonardo of Pisa by
centuries.

However, in 1202 Leonardo of Pisa published the massive tome "Liber Abaci," a mathematics "cookbook for how to do
calculations," Devlin said.  Written for tradesmen, "Liber Abaci" laid out Hindu-Arabic arithmetic useful for tracking
profits, losses, remaining loan balances and so on, Devlin said.

In one place in the book, Leonardo of Pisa introduces the

sequence with a problem involving rabbits. The problem
goes as follows: Start with a male and a female rabbit. After
a month, they mature and produce a litter with another
male and female rabbit. A month later, those rabbits
reproduce and out comes — you guessed it — another male
and female, who also can mate after a month. (Ignore the
wildly improbable biology here.) After a year, how many
rabbits would you have? The answer, it turns out, is 144 —
and the formula used to get to that answer is what's now
known as the Fibonacci sequence.

"Liber Abaci" first introduced the sequence to the Western

world. But after a few scant paragraphs on breeding rabbits,
Leonardo of Pisa never mentioned the sequence again. In
fact, it was mostly forgotten until the 19th century, when
mathematicians worked out more about the sequence's
mathematical properties. In 1877, French mathematician
Édouard Lucas officially named the rabbit problem "the
Fibonacci sequence," Devlin said.